Somewhere a Clock is Ticking
by not about angels
Summary: Keira Blake didn't know what to expect after spending a few weeks on the Reach ship. When the arrival of new subjects board the ship and set her free from her imprisonment, Blake's world is changed forever. (Set during "Before the Dawn" and follows Invasion plot line) Jaime Reyes/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Err, hiya. This is my first fanfic, so please review and criticize (unless if you're going to comment how unoriginal my OC is). If you do claim that my OC is a Mary Sue, please tell me how to modify her to seem less like it. Anyway, sorry this was so lengthy. On with the show!**

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_-1 The Special Ones_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Bright Mouths- Electric President**_

_They watch you when you're asleep, they hear as you grind your teeth. They're always wearing smiles, but they're never what they seem. You can run when you're awake, but they'll kill you in your dreams._

* * *

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Time**

_Her toes dangled near the edge of the pool as children splashed below her. _

_"Sweetie?"_

_Her dark eyes met her mother's hazel eyes. _

_"_Are you sure?" She asked in her childish voice.

_"Jump in. I'll catch you."_

_The girl blinked and stared down at the water. It was so clear and blue. She saw her father swim by, little bubbles floating up. Her father was soon gone as a ripple formed. It seemed easy enough. She childishly held her nose as she jumped into her mother's arms._

_No one caught her._

_Her eyes snapped open. The water was a deep crimson water. It was clear...as if it were glass. Her callused fingers slowly went up, but stopped at the barrier of the crimson water. So it was glass._

_She squinted, not being able to see past the glass. Lifeless hazel eyes soon came to view as she stifled a gasp. Dark hair flowed by the eyes as it passed by the glass._

_"Mom?" She asked, her voice now at a normal pitch._

_There was no reply as she floated further away._

_"Mom?!" She shrieked, her fists pounding on the glass, hoping it would break. _

_Pairs of yellow, red, and brown eyes came to view. The vacant yellow and red eyes calculated her surprised reaction as the chocolate brown eyes mimicked her expression. What was going on?_

_She gasped as something coursed through her veins and a needle collided with her spine. The last thing she saw were those brown eyes widening in fear and desperation to help her._

**Pacific Ocean**

**March 30, 18:40 HAST**

Her gray eyes popped open, dilating in surprise. She inhaled, smelling her fear and desperation to get out of her pod. She looked over at the confused boy in the pod who had just woken up from his own nightmare.

She always seemed to be asking herself these questions. Who was he? Why was he in this lab? This was the worst lab of them all. He was muttering to himself when he woke up from his nightmare. Everyone had nightmares in this ship, including herself.

**[Heartbeat detected. Three times faster than normal rate,] **she heard a voice say.

She arched a dark brow as she began to search for the inanimate voice. His brown eyes finally locked on her gray ones and she shrank back in her pod. His eyes. Could it be?

Her eyes soon came to view from her crimson prison as she stared at the familiar boy. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but closed it in a thin line. She frowned in response.

"Why is she here?" He whispered to himself.

**[She seems to be another...experiment for the Reach,] **the inanimate voice replied.

The girl frowned again. "You know, you talk to yourself a lot," she said, finding her voice.

**[She knows too much. Eliminate her.]**

The girl's eyes widened as the boy frowned.

"We both know we can't do that."

There was an awkward pause as the teens looked at anything but each other.

They stifled a gasp as the doors slid open once again, revealing the Scientist and Black Beetle. They began to talk as the girl deciphered their language.

"This human Beetle is a disappointment. How can he be the Reach's advanced operative on Earth, but refuses to function on mode?" She asked, typing in the information.

"Then reboot," the Black Beetle said dryly.

"Yes," she replied, exasperated. "That may be necessary, but we require a new host."

"Finding another will not be difficult. The removing the Scarab from over pair will kill the Jaime Reyes. Meat is plentiful here."

The girl's eyes widened as she looked over at the terrified boy named Jaime Reyes.

The inanimate voice was a Scarab attached to this boy and worked for the Reach. It's not "on-mode" which is bad for the Reach, but good for everyone else. They're going to kill the boy to get it off him.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Oh gosh! I'm a terrible person. I totally forgot the disclaimer.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or any of the characters. They belong to their owners and creators. I only own my OC's. (For first chapter too).**_

_**Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews! And a special thank you to DieForPie, my first reviewer!**_

_**DieForPie: Glad to hear it! When I saw your review, I literally yelled in excitement. Thank you for the compliments, I'll do my best to not disappoint you!**_

_** : Wait no longer 'cause here it is!**_

_**PrettyKitty Luvs U: Thanks! That means a lot coming from you! Anyway, here's the next chapter.**_

_**patattack: Thanks!**_

_**Sorry this took so long, so on with the show!**_

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_-2 Before the Dawn_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: We Must Be Killers- Mikky Ekko**_

_I woke up, I was stuck in a dream. You were there, you were tearing up everything. But we all know how to fake it, baby. We all know what we've done._

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_**Pacific Ocean**_

_**March 30, 19:26 HAST**_

The teens yelled in pain as the Scientist electrified them. The alarm in the background wasn't a good sign either, but she continued her work as if nothing was happening.

She didn't see the speedster phase in, glare at her, and finally knock her out. He ran to the boy's pod and ripped out the weapons. It opened and led Jaime into his arms. He groaned in pain.

"H-help t-the girl."

The speedster looked up to see the other girl still yelling. He set down Jaime and helped her out of the pod. She winced in pain.

"Thanks."

The boy shrugged. "It's what heroes do. Are you okay?"

She got out of his grasp and tried to stand tall. "I'm a fast healer."

They walked over to the fallen teen and put his arms over their shoulders to help him walk.

"W-what happened? Why are we h-here?" Jaime asked.

The speedster began to explain that in the future, they wore inhibitor collars and were forced to work like slaves. She was confused, but didn't want to interrupt. They knew what they were talking about.

"That's how it was, I mean, how it will be. Somehow the Reach gets you on-mode and Blue Beetle becomes the biggest, baddest bad in history."

He paused for affect as he stared at the older teen.

"Ugh, no. I-I wouldn't, I-I'd never-"

"-except you do and that's the real reason, well, the main reason I came back. To stop you from betraying the human race and bringing up the Reach apocalypse."

Jaime looked like he wanted to interject, but knew he couldn't say anything about that. The girl looked at Jaime and back to the auburn haired boy.

"You're from the future?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm Impulse by the way," he replied, giving an easy smile.

"Blake, nice to meet ya."

_Analyzing...analyzing. Bart Allen, ability to run at a superhuman speed._

Blake arched a dark brow at herself as she rubbed her head with her free hand. Wait, was that Impulse's real name?

**[Ready to suit up?]**

Jaime nodded and dropped his arms from their shoulders. He suited up, revealing the Blue Beetle. He glanced at the teenager.

"Blue Beetle, _encantado de conocerte."_

She smirked. "Likewise."

They began to run down the hallways when they heard the pounding and grunting of someone. They stopped when they saw a large green ape trying to open the door and a woman's body stuck between the door. Blue walked over to the panel and hacked it, opening the door.

The woman fell and Beast Boy and Impulse went to aid the fallen heroes. Blake's mind soon began to analyze the unconscious girls.

"Blake, g-go," Blue warned.

He hacked the door once again, opening the exit and making the boy crouched on the ground roll out. Blake looked between the exit, Blue, and Black Beetle.

"Little brother, one way or another I'm putting you back on mode. You are of the Reach and cannot escape it," Black told Blue.

"I have too," Blue groaned out.

**[Jaime Reyes, you do not function at full capacity. Suggested tactic: Grant me total control of armor and all weaponry.]**

"Do it," he replied.

He gave a surprised yell in pain as his brown eyes rolled back and he was gone. Blake looked at Blue one last time and ran out. She followed the boy who recently fell and saw there were more teens. Her eyes widened. How could they do this? Seeing some of them were safe, she began to head back to help.

"You have to stay here," a voice called out.

She frowned and was about to say something, until she saw it was a mask-clad man.

_Analyzing...analyzing, Richard Grayson a.k.a Nightwing, no known superpowers._

She huffed and stayed with them. Blake heard all the bashing, and crashing, but resisted the urge to help. Impulse and Beast Boy went in and out, more heroes being left. The green ape went one last time as Impulse waited.

Suddenly, the Bio-Ship slowly began to fill with water. Beast Boy brought in one last teen and formed into a green monkey-like boy. Blake gave a small smile. These people were interesting.

"Everyone's on board except Blue," a red-head announced.

_Analyzing...analyzing, Barbara Gordon a.k.a Batgirl, no known superpowers._

"Going back in for him."

Impulse got up and ran to the hatch. He decided to ignore the flood of water heading straight towards him.

"Impulse, no-"

Blake was cut off with Impulse getting hit by the water and getting knocked out. Beast Boy and Blake helped him. They shared a small smile.

"Nightwing, seal the hatch. Docking bay is flooding our hold," Batgirl ordered.

"But Blue!" Beast Boy insisted.

"We can't help him if we drown or get crushed by the pressure of the depth," she retorted.

The seal was shut as Blake walked over to the window. Her eyes followed each laser that came their way and tried to hit them. The ship swayed a little at the driver's attempts to dodge them.

She stifled a gasp as she saw a familiar blue metallic suit float by. Luckily his eyes were closed, meaning he was unconscious. _Talk about déjà vu. _

A dark figure was soon next to her as she stifled another gasp. "Blue's spotted. Ready for a swim, Lagoon Boy?"

"What kind of question is that, chum?" The Atlantean replied.

Blake looked up to see a slightly grinning Nightwing. She frowned as she walked away from him. Lagoon Boy's hatch was soon closed and all they had to do was wait.

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**A/N: Sorry there's so many of these, but I was wondering if you guys wanted translations for any of the different languages I'll be including in the story. Leave a review to let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Thank you everyone for the positive feedback!**_

_**leena1445: **__Thanks and the only reason why I'm plopping her into the plot is because I've seen some people react rather rudely to the people messing up the canon content. Hopefully this chapter and some other chapters will let you see how it's different from the plot._

_**DieForPie: **__Thanks! Glad to hear it!_

_**PrettyKitty Luvs U: **__Okay, thanks for telling me. I'm not really into describing her too much, so you can get your own idea of her. But since you asked so nicely, she has dark hair in an "Elsa" braid (textured French braid), light gray eyes, slightly dark circles under her eyes (will be explained later throughout story), and tanned skin. She won't be described in full extent because I want to see how other people would imagine her. _

_** : **__(Hopefully your name doesn't get cut off again) and thanks! Keira is fourteen going on to fifteen. _

_**Lexbob1: **__Thanks! That means a lot to me. _

_**Guest: **__Of course I'll keep going!_

_**Sorry these get so lengthy, I'll add my author's note at the end of the chapter next time.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or any of the characters. Those belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC.**_

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_-3 Wish I Met You Somewhere Else_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Demons- Imagine Dragons**_

_They say it's what you make, I say it's up to fate. It's woven in my soul. I need to let you go. Your eyes they shine so bright, I wanna save that light. I can't escape this now, unless you show me how._

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Ruth B (Vine)**_

_I don't understand much about myself, but when I'm with you it all makes sense._

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**Pacific Ocean**

**March 30, 19:52 HAST**

Patience. They were testing her patience. She rubbed her arms, trying to get warm. Blake swayed as the Bio-Ship made another sharp turn. She kept her eyes glued at the spot where Lagoon Boy left, waiting for him to return with Blue.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked behind her.

She turned to see a blonde haired girl. Blake gave a thin smile. _Analyzing...analyzing, Stephanie Brown._ Blake huffed. This "analyzing" thing was getting annoying.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just worried about Blue."

"Oh. Aren't you cold?"

Blake looked at her clothes. They'd taken away her t-shirt, and plaid shirt and left her in a tank top. The bottom of her jeans were still wet from the water that went into the Bio-Ship and she'd have to change her socks. Blake hugged herself, suddenly feeling insecure. She looked up at the blonde's worried blue eyes.

"No, not really," she tried to lie, goosebumps rising on her skin.

"I'm Stephanie."

"Blake."

They shared another small smile. The girls glanced at the center of the Bio-Ship to see a bubble forming. They heard a thud and covered themselves from getting wet. Blake lowered her arms and saw Lagoon Boy and Blue. She let out a breath.

* * *

Blake and Stephanie sat near the window, staring at the ocean life. Blake gave a small smile as an angelfish swam by her face.

"I've always wanted to go underwater," Stephanie revealed.

"Me too."

"Well, not like this, of course."

This caused another small smile to form on her face. Steph looked up, her eyes getting a sparkle. Blake looked up too to see a boy in sunglasses. _Analyzing...analyzing, Tim Drake a.k.a Robin III._

"Um, if you'll excuse-"

"Go ahead, have fun," she interrupted, giving a small wink.

Steph rolled her eyes and got up to talk to Robin. Blake let her head hit the glass as she exhaled. It had been a long night. She looked as the teens mingled with each other. Some stayed quiet, some fell asleep. Blake let her eyes close for a while.

"Uh, Blake?" A voice asked a few seconds later.

Her gray eyes snapped open and she looked up. It was Blue...or well, Jaime since he wasn't in his suit. Luckily, he wasn't shirtless anymore and wore a plain white t-shirt and a green zip-up hoodie.

"Hey," she replied.

He stood there, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. This caused the girl to give a small smile.

"You can take a seat, you know."

"Oh, uh, yeah, _gracias_," he said, sitting next to her.

They nodded their heads, as if they had been talking forever. Jaime realized Blake was rubbing her hands on her arms.

_"Tienes frio?"_

"Oh, no. I'm fine."

"No, I have to offer you my jacket. _Mi mamá me mataría si dejo que una chica se muere de frío," _he muttered the last part to himself.

He shed off his jacket and handed it to Blake. She frowned, but didn't protest. A smile tugged on her lips.

"Thanks Jaime," she said, finally accepting it and putting it on.

They sat quietly, just staring at the now sleeping teens. He suited up, feeling he had to wear it around the teens.

**[Do not put all your trust on this Blake. She causes bio-chemical changes to your system.]**

Blake arched a dark brow. "Jaime?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking up at her.

"The inanimate voice, is that the Scarab?"

Jaime looked down again and chuckled. "Yeah. He's Jiminy Cricket with a bad attitude. He's bonded to me and it also considers you a potential threat and wants me to kill you."

"Ah, sounds like a true friend."

"He's helpful...sometimes."

She smiled. It was Jaime's turn to arch a dark brow.

"Wait, you can hear him?"

"Oh...um, yeah."

"How?"

"I don't know. I've been hearing a lot of things," she muttered.

He only nodded and stared ahead, deciding not to worry about it at that moment. His brown eyes betrayed him, glancing at the girl next to him. Jaime wanted to hide the truth, yet she seemed to read him like an open book as if she'd known him forever.

Blake felt his eyes on her and looked up at him. She gave an easy smile as Jaime tried to smile back. She had some bright eyes. The truth finally dawned on him.

He had to let her go.

"Blue, we landed already. Some of them are being sent to Taos STAR Labs and the rest are going to be escorted home," Robin informed, breaking the Hispanic boy out of his thoughts.

"'_Sta bien_."

He glanced at the two of them and walked away. Jaime exhaled as Blake began to laugh to herself quietly.

"What's so funny?" Jaime asked.

"My friend has a crush on him."

This caused Jaime to raise his eyebrows. Someone having a crush on Robin? Good luck with that.

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**Translations: **

_Gracias- _Thank you (obviously)

_Tienes frío?- _Are you cold?

_Mi mamá me mataría si dejo que una chica se muere de frío- _My mom would kill me if I let a girl freeze to death.

'_Sta bien- _Okay

**A/N:** So sorry if Jaime, Scarab or Stephanie are portrayed too OOC. May not be able to update tomorrow, but if I do, hope you guys check it out.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or any of the characters. This belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's.**_

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_-4 April Fools_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack- Liars**_

_I can always be found. I will stay by your side, and I want you to find me, so I'll stay by your side._

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**Taos**

**April 1, 17:23 MDT**

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat. That was all Impulse's hands were doing. It kept a beat upon his thighs, but it was seriously getting annoying. Blake felt her eye twitch. Blue was kind enough to place a hand on his wrist. Impulse looked up.

"Oh, uh, sorry," he apologized.

A few seconds later, he began to tap his foot. The door opened.

"Thank you, Tye," Black Canary said. "Virgil?"

The said boy got up and headed into the room. Blake exhaled, feeling anxious. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like she was going to throw up.

"Tye!" She suddenly heard Blue's happy voice.

She looked up to see he'd gotten up.

**[Hold, Jaime Reyes. The Tye Longshadow does not know us in this form.]**

His eyes widened in realization as he suddenly lifted his arms. "Ti-ime to stretch." Blue then did a ballerina twirl. "Yep, gotta keep limber," and took a seat.

Everyone gave him annoyed glances and Blake face palmed.

"Smooth," she muttered to herself, his shielded eyes flickering to her.

She felt a headache grow as she rested her elbows on her knees. Another long day awaited her.

She found herself seated in the small office. Her foot did the same tapping as Impulse's foot did a few hours ago. The beige walls seemed to be getting closer and closer each time her foot tapped on the floor.

Dinah's blue eyes were studying the tanned girl. Seeing how her gray eyes stared at anything but her, her thigh slightly jiggling from the taps. She was nervous and seemed to feel very awkward.

Blake wondered if people felt like this when she unwillingly analyzed them.

"I'm Black Canary and you're Keira, right?" She finally spoke, causing the girl to glance up at her.

_Analyzing...analyzing, Dinah Lance, canary cry and above average physical abilities._

Blake frowned. "I prefer Blake and I'm not a child, so please don't talk to me like that."

Her blue eyes widened. "Oh, alright. I know you're time with the Reach was traumatizing, would you like to tell me about it?"

"Why am I being filmed?" Blake asked, getting up to look at the camera.

Black Canary didn't stop her as she stood in front of it, making faces at it. The red dot was bright and she frowned. Oh how she wished the camera would turn off. She glared at the red dot, trying to intimidate it.

"Keira, can we get back to the interview?"

She frowned, but took a seat. She sighed.

"So, how are you feeling?" She asked, giving an easy smile.

"Fantastic."

BC deadpanned. Blake's eyes darted between the blonde and the door.

"I suppose your trying to get some answers from me?" Blake asked.

"That's the goal," she admitted.

Blake rolled her eyes. "Well, that's not really working since you're not asking any questions. Is it?"

"Will you answer truthfully if I ask you any?"

She shrugged. "If you give me an 'A' for effort, then sure."

"Fine, how did you get captured?"

"Like all the other kids, they kidnapped me when I was at a train station. Dunno why, since I was planning to go visit _mí__Ama_."

"What did they do to you?"

"Well, I was in a lab, but I wasn't with the other kids. For a while, it was just me, the Scientist, and Black Beetle. The experiments were like visions. One exercise would be in a burning inferno, another one underwater...it would always be different. I could feel everything that was happening, yet when I-I woke up, I would still be in my pod."

"You were in a lab by yourself?"

"Yeah, but then they got Blue and began to focus on him some more."

"Did they perform the same experiments on Blue?"

Blake paused, unsure of how to respond. Black Canary stayed quiet as she waited for her to answer. Her head throbbed while she searched for the memory. She finally exhaled.

"I guess. He always seemed to be waking up from a nightmare..."

Blake hissed quietly after that, grabbing her head. A look of concern crossed onto Black Canary's face.

"Is it true you almost killed your first grade class with that Cry of yours?" Blake asked while massaging her temple.

"Yes," she admitted. "How do you know?"

"I've started to analyze people. I have a feeling it's from the experiments the Reach did."

"How do you do it?"

"It just happens randomly. I'll meet someone and my mind finds out their name and if they have powers or not. Plus, it gives me a killer headache."

Black Canary blinked and finally grabbed something from one of the drawers. A small bottle of headache pills. She handed it to the girl. "Thank you, Blake."

Blake gave a nod and headed out, popping some pills into her mouth.

"Impulse?" Black Canary called.

Blake was about to take a seat when someone roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her to another hallway. She looked up to see Blue.

"What'd you tell her, _linda_?"

Blake felt blood creep up on her cheeks from the comment.

**[The girl seems flustered by your comment. Continue tactic?]**

"Nothing. I just told her what they did to me...and stuff."

"Did you tell her about what I do and the Reach apocalypse?"

"No. I think that's something you and Impulse should tell her since I don't know anything about it."

**[Excellent. Now kill the Blake so she won't change her mind,] **Scarab suggested, making Blue's eyes widen.

Blake frowned. "I can hear you."

"Did you tell her about...this?" Blue asked, pointing at himself and her.

"No, not this either."

Blue smiled. "_Gracias_."

She nodded and they headed to their seats. Impulse soon came out and Blue did the same thing with him. Blake rolled her eyes and rested her head against the wall.

The hallway was quiet. No one spoke as the teens heard each other's breathing. Someone finally emerged from the end of the hallway, catching their attention. _Analyzing...analyzing, David Wilcox, no known powers. _Blake frowned. The "analyzing" had to go away.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Wilcox. I'm sorry to inform you, but you'll have to stay here at STAR Labs for a while."

This received groans from the teens. She realized she was going to stay too.

"If you please follow me, we can begin assigning rooms..." His voice trailed off.

The teens soon got up and followed after the scientist as Blake stayed in her seat. She exhaled and brought her knees to her chest. She soon heard muttering. Blake looked up to see Blue walking back to the conference room.

With her curiosity piqued, she stood near the door.

"I'm sorry. I've been hiding something, but I can't...I just can't-"

She soon saw Impulse flash by as he stood next to Blue.

"Uh, Blue, Blue, Blue, what happened to keep quiet?"

**[Stop, Jaime Reyes. This is a tactical error.]**

"No," Blue said to himself. He looked up at the adults in the room. "Impulse says sometime in the future, I betray Earth and bring on a Reach apocalypse. That's not a future I can live with."

He stepped forward to Black Canary, Nightwing, and Captain Atom. His suit retreated.

"So whatever it takes, get this Scarab off me," he finished, jabbing his thumb at the Scarab.

"Hey!" Someone shouted, causing the girl to jump.

Blake turned and scowled at the tall man. _Analyzing...analyzing, Burton Thompson, no known powers._

"What're you doing here?"

"Nothing, I got lost."

"Then, c'mon, let's go with the others."

She frowned as he began to lead the way, looking back and catching Jaime's brown eyes on her.

* * *

**A/N: That's it for this chapter! Next chapter will act as a...filler, I guess you can call it that. It will give you more insight of what's goin' on while they stay at Star and how some of the Leaguers react to learning Blake's "analyzing!"**

**PrettyKitty Luvs U: **Thanks for telling me. I was kinda freaking out when I posted it.

**SnowWolf22: **Thanks for the feedback! I was sort of iffy about the Steph/Tim, but of course, a good one-shot made me ship them and add a little for them. Chapter size, I'm going to have to say both. It depends on what circumstances. I think the next chapter may be longer than this one because it's going to focus on their time in Star and such...

**Guest: **Thanks, glad to see you interested in my story!

**And as always, feedback is always appreciated (especially for a beginner like me). Anyways, until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's.**_

**A/N: The Japanese for this chapter may be badly translated (thanks Google Translate), so I want to apologize for that. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!**

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_-5 Bonding_

_**No chapter song today. I don't think anyone will notice...**_

* * *

**Taos Star Labs**

**April 3, 13:45 MDT**

They had their arms crossed as they glared at Wilcox. The teenagers currently found themselves in a circle. They had recently been told that their parents were informed of their current location. That didn't explain why the scientist was standing in the middle of the circle.

"You're probably wondering why I gathered you all here."

Blake rolled her eyes. _No, not really._

"Well, since we're going to be stuck with each other for a while, I decided to begin this seminar. Would anyone like to start?"

There was an awkward pause as the teens stared at anything but the scientist. He exhaled.

"Alright then, I'll call on someone. Nathaniel?"

He looked up from staring at his lap. "Oh, uh, hi I'm Nathaniel Tryon and I'm eighteen."

"How did you get here?" Wilcox asked, knowing he would answer.

He shrugged. "Well, like everyone else I guess. The Reach programmed me to wreck havoc in Star City as Neutron. Luckily, I was saved and now I'm here."

"Thank you Nathaniel. Virgil?"

He exhaled and sat up. "Virgil Hawkins, fifteen years old."

Wilcox nodded. "Thank you. Keira?"

She looked up from staring at her black jeans. "Uh, Keira Blake, but I prefer Blake. I'm fourteen."

"Tye?"

He groaned. "Tye Longshadow, sixteen years old."

"Asami?"

_"Karera wa watashi o rikai shite imasen,_" she muttered, looking at the scientist.

_"Watashi wa anata no tame ni hon'yaku shimasu_," he reassured.

The girl gave a nod and looked at the teens. _"Watashi wa Asami Koizumida to watashi wa 14desu." _

"She's Asami Koizumi and she's fourteen. Eduardo?"

Blake arched a dark brow. She strangely didn't need him to translate. Eduardo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"_Soy_ Eduardo Dorado and I'm fourteen."

There was a pause. Wilcox clasped his hands.

"Anything else people want to add?"

The teens went back to staring at the walls or at their laps.

"Alright. I will see you all at 14:30 sharp."

Wilcox got up and soon left. Two thirty. Blake groaned and placed her elbow on her knees.

"Finally Wilcox left. He's getting annoying."

"Tell me about it," Tye agreed.

The teens relaxed, leaning back in their seats and taking in the features of their "roommates."

"_¿Ustedes saben lo que quiero? Unos _Chicken Whizees," Ed admitted.

There was nodding and groans in agreement.

"Agreed," Blake said.

"I second that agreement," Virgil added.

Neut and Asami stayed quiet in their side. Blake exhaled, knowing she would regret this.

_"Kon'nichwa Asami."_

This caused the girl with heterochromia and the teens to perk up.

_"Anata ga nihongo o hanasu?"_ Asami asked.

Blake nodded, causing the Japanese girl to relax and give a small smile.

"Woah, where'd you learn to speak Japanese?" Virgil asked, now facing the teen."

"Uh...just now."

"How, exactly?" Tye asked.

"It's part of the results from the...experiments."

"Now that's impressive," Neut commented.

She gave a smile. "Thanks."

Eduardo snorted. "And Wilcox wanted us to have counseling," he said in his Argentinian accent.

"We're just fine without him."

* * *

Blake tugged the collar of the uniform. Wilcox sat behind an observatory glass, clearly away from them. The teens stood in a lab-like room, an array of items scattered around the large space.

"This will be where we see how you perform your new found abilities."

He added more to his sentence, but they were too distracted with all the items in the room. After a few hours of awkward pacing, the teens were soon getting accustomed to their powers.

Ed teleported here and there, occasionally appearing behind his friends to give them a good scare.

Virgil stared at the trash can in front of him, electricity coursing around his fingers. He soon began to lift up the lid.

Sam channeled her chi throughout her body as she was enveloped in a pink aura. She pushed off of the floor, crashing into the dummies in front of her. She would sometimes crash into the teens when she lost control.

Tye would close his eyes and try to channel his astral form. His lack of control made him somewhat frustrated, especially with Wilcox telling him to keep on trying.

Blake looked at her friends, her mind doing a quick analysis. She soon found herself teleporting behind Ed, scaring him. Her headaches would grow and Wilcox allowed her a two minute break to get some medicine and gulp it down.

Neut was the one who would sit at the sidelines not doing anything. As said before, his powers weren't unleashed from him, but he was still kept in the lab with the teens in case his power came back.

Either way, they all had to stick together to survive these lab days together.

* * *

**The Watchtower**

**April 7, 20:31 EDT**

**Recognized Nightwing: B-Zero-One**

The dark haired vigilante headed to the center of the Mission Room, Black Canary and Captain Atom patiently waiting for him. Nightwing arched a dark brow under his mask.

"How is the Team?" BC asked.

"Fine, so what's going on?"

BC looked away as an exasperated look crossed Captain Atom's face.

"Dinah found out their basic powers from the exercises they've been performing."

"Oh, that's great!" Nightwing said, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

A holographic screen appeared near the window, showing the first liberated abductee.

"Virgil Hawkins," she began, glancing over at the picture of the dark-skinned boy,"he has the power of electromagnetism, as I showed you a few days ago."

Nightwing nodded as the screen turned to the next person. This boy had a stoic demeanor, his blue eyes looking away from the camera. "Tye Longshadow can project his astral form. He seems to only be able to use it while he's asleep."

The next picture showed a Japanese teenager with heterochromia. "Asami Koizumi can manipulate her chi, allowing her to project herself."

"Eduardo Dorado Jr. has the ability to teleport himself anywhere in sight line," BC continued, indicating to an Argentinian boy.

"The last abductee, Keira Blake, has the ability to analyze anyone in sight line-"

"Analyze?" Nightwing asked, glancing at the picture the tanned teenager.

"She can find out someone's alias and if they have a meta-gene working."

Nightwing only nodded as Captain Atom continued to stare at Black Canary.

"Wait, so she can find out our identities and find a way to use our powers against us?"

BC only nodded. He was about to say something until Nightwing spoke for him.

"Let's just keep an eye on them. See if anything else develops."

"Something already did develop. She can somewhat mimic a power. It's not as strong or powerful as the one she analyzed."

"Great," Captain Atom muttered, resting a hand on his forehead.

"I have a theory as to why this is her power."

Captain Atom looked up at her, hoping to understand some more.

"I think she may have been a back-up weapon for the Reach if Blue's Scarab is _off-mode." _

* * *

**A/N: And this is where everyone begins to hate me. If you have any questions about this, please PM me. I'll be glad to answer any questions. **

** : **(Your name's going to get cut off, I'm positive about it). Don't worry, some but not many will freak out. Only one of them was a bit wary as seen today. Blue and Blake...well, you'll just have to wait and see.

**PrettyKitty Luvs U: **I'll definitely add more insight to her throughout the chapters and thanks!

**Translations: **

_Karera wa watashi o rikai shite imasen-_ They won't understand me.

_Watashi wa anata no tame ni hon'yaku shimasu-_I'll translate for you

_¿Ustedes saben lo que quiero?- _You know what I want?

_Kon'nichwa Asami -_ Hi Asami

_Anata ga nihongo o hanasu?- _You speak Japanese?

**One last thing, Sam and Blake are going to have a conversation in the next chapter. Should I have the Japanese in the chapter or should I just write it in English with the italics, so you guys can know they're talking in Japanese? Let me know in the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's.**_

_**A/N: **_*sighs* This chapter is so terrible and I'm sorry for that. I had more planned for my Runaways, but the ideas left my mind and I'm so mad at myself. Sorry this took forever and is still badly written. Sorry if Sam seems a little OOC, but I see her as a guarded character. Did you guys know she didn't tell Black Canary anything when they were interviewed?

_"Italics" _is the Japanese dialogue that I decided to write in English instead. Don't kill me for that. Anyway, hope you somewhat enjoy this chapter.

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_-6 The Fix_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Disappear- Mikky Ekko**_

_Every time I close my eyes, I feel I cannot turn back. Every time I close my eyes, I want to fall back into you._

* * *

**Taos Star Labs**

**April 12, 14:56 MDT**

_Hi, princess. Are you hanging in there? I wish I could call you and tell you how much I miss you, but they don't allow it._

She could already hear her dad exhaling as he stared down at the three sentences. His dark brow furrowed as he finally continued writing.

_This is all my fault. If I hadn't sent you to your grandma's house none of this would have happened. I hope you can forgive me._

Blake would have stopped him there, hugging him and telling him everything was alright. But she couldn't.

_Anyway, they told me to send you some stuff for when you stay there. Hope you like them. I'll see you soon. Just remember that I love you and I miss you._

_Love, Dad._

A tear left Blake's eye as she hugged the note to herself. "Love you too," she whispered.

She finally placed it on her bed and looked at the box in front of her. She opened it to see extra pairs of plaid button-ups, t-shirts, jeans, and an extra pair of sneakers. She smiled.

"Thank you, dad."

The door opened, revealing Sam with a smaller box. She sat on her bed, staring at the box. She then began to pull out similar black long sleeves and leggings. There was a slight awkwardness as Blake stared at the girl folding her clothes.

_"Do you want to talk about it?" _Blake finally asked.

Sam blinked, grabbing another long sleeved. _"No, but it seems like you would like to talk about it."_

Blake sighed. _"I do, but I don't think that's what you want."_

Another pause as Sam shifted on her bed and as Blake placed her box onto the floor. Sam finally looked at Blake.

_"Fine, we both want answers about each other, so after each of your questions, I get to ask you a question."_

Blake fiddled with the tip of her dark braid and finally exhaled. _"Okay."_

_"You go first."_

_"Alright. Umm...why didn't your parents send you anything?"_

Sam arched a dark brow. _"You do realized we're all runaways?"_

Blake's mouth twitched to the side in realization. _"But the guys got boxes too and they ran away,"_ she retorted.

Sam only shrugged. _"Ed's dad is here, he obviously has to get something. My question: why don't you sleep at night?"_

The tanned girl sighed, running a hand over her braid. _"I-I don't know. It's been a problem for a while since-"_

_"-the Reach?"_ Sam finished as Blake gave another nod. _"I get them too. Your turn."_

_"Sorry for asking, but how long have you been away from home?"_

Sam's heterochromia eyes flickered as she looked away from Blake and went back to folding clothes. Blake sighed, realizing Sam wouldn't answer the question. She went back to re-reading her father's note.

_"...Two years,"_ a sheepish voice finally said.

Blake looked up to see Sam still looking at her clothes. A saddened look crossed on her face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Sam replied in shaky English.

"Children, please report to the Lab," the intercom interrupted their conversation.

Blake and Sam exchanged looks, sighing in defeat. They grabbed their uniforms, caught up with the boys, and stepped into the lab.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Time**

_She gasped, her chest burning and swelling. She stared at the Scientist's cold eyes through the crimson glass as she put more electricity. Blake shrieked and yelled. She felt something warm trickling down her spine as something began to pierce her back._

_"Stop! No, please, it hurts!"_

_Blake Beetle talked to the Scientist in their clicker language, much to her frustration. _

_"What are you guys talking about?! Answer me!"_

_The Scientist remained unfazed as Blake's world turned black._

**Taos**

**April 17, 4:45 MDT**

She blinked and saw she was back in the dark room at STAR labs. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she wiped them away. She took in slow breaths, relaxing her heart beats.

Her eyes counted every little detail on the ceiling. There were currently 1,014 different marks. Blake huffed and sat up in her bed. What to do, what to do?

Sleep was for the weak, anyway. Well, for people who weren't insomniac. She grabbed Jaime's green hoodie and zipped it on. She smiled. It still smelled like him. She quietly opened the door, making sure Sam stayed asleep. Blake shut the door behind her and made her way through the hallways.

The lights were on, indicating people were here. She sighed. That meant having to keep a lower profile. She stuffed her hands into her pockets as she turned another corner.

**[The Blake is near.]**

Blake stopped herself, arching a dark brow. Scarab? Then that means... Blake's gray eyes widened. Jaime.

**[Your body's biochemical levels indicate the appeal of her physiology. I thought it would interest you to know her current position to use to your advantageas an opportunity to induce potential chemical bonding between your pheromones and hers.]**

"What?" She whispered to herself, confused about what Scarab said.

She heard metallic footsteps get closer. A squeak left her throat as she ran over to another corner. Her heart was in her throat as she came to view to the two metallic heroes. _Analyzing, B'arzz O'oomm, Martian physiology._

That explained the Green Beetle. Wait... Green Beetle? Blue blinked at her as she blinked back. She finally gave a sheepish wave.

"Was she one of the Reach abductees?" Green asked Blue.

"Uh, yeah. Uh, I'll be right back."

Blue walked up to Blake and led a gaping Blake back to the hallway she came from.

"Is that a Green Beetle? There's a Green Beetle?" Blake whispered to Blue.

"Yeah, isn't it great?"

"Why's that?"

"He can get my Scarab to shut up which means no Reach apocalypse."

"He's kinda creepy," Blake commented.

"You should see him smile," Blue replied, causing Blake to give a little smile. "He wants us to trust him. I trust him."

"'Cause he can silence your Scarab?"

Blue nodded as they walked down the hall. "I'm doing everything I can to prevent this apocalypse."

"I know you are, Jaime."

She slowed down her walk as they finally made it to her room. "Well, Scarab, you better protect him for me."

**[I will destroy every enemy that comes in his way.]**

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you will. Well, see you soon, Jaime."

They exchanged a small smile as Blake went to open the door, but Blue grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she returned the hug.

"Protect Tye for me?" Blue asked.

"Only if you don't go all Reach on me."

"Deal," he replied as they got out of the embrace.

**[Hormonal imbalance detected.]**

_"ESCAARAAAAAAABAJOOOO!"_ Blue hissed.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was this chapter. Again, sorry for this chapter. **

**PrettyKitty Luvs U: **Thanks, that means a lot!

**Guest 1: **You'll just have to stick around to find out. ;)

**Guest 2: **Stick around to find out. ;)

** : **Lots more to come and don't worry, they don't judge too roughly.

**Guest 3: **Well, here's the update!

("Escarabajo," is Scarab in Spanish)

**Next chapter is the Runaway's episode. I originally had three chapters splitting the episode, but I was wondering if I should just write out the whole episode as one chapter. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews! Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter songs, or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's_**.

_**A/N: **_You guys are amazing! This thank you was supposed to be given to you guys days ago, but I decided to add it for this chapter. Seriously, you guys are the best! 1,327 views, 27 reviews, 15 followers, and 9 favorites?! I know for some it seems like a little, but it really means a lot to me, so thank you. That's crazy! (Well for me).

As you can see, I decided to write out the whole Runaways episode, making this one of my longest chapters ever. I personally make them short for the readers who are busy and such...so sorry if you guys personally like long chapters. Sorry for this very long Author's Note, so on with the story!

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_-7 Runaways_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Honest- The Neighbourhood**_

_I wish you could be honest. I wish you could be honest with me. I wish you could be honest. I wish you could be honest with me. Chasing, always chasing dreams. Why'd you stick around? Why'd you stay with me? Why'd you fake it?_

_**The Illusion of Protection- Schemawound**_

_**Who Are You, Really?- Mikky Ekko**_

_So you feel entitled to a sense of control and make decisions that you think are your own. You are a stranger here, why have you come? Why have you come..._

* * *

**Taos Star Labs**

**May 13, 13:05 MDT**

They sat in the lab and watched Virgil lift the lid, moving it around the room. Tye, Sam, and Blake shared the bench while Neut stood, waiting. Blake heard Wilcox sigh from the booth.

"Not just the lid, the entire can," his voice drawled.

This caused Virgil to crack as his eye twitched in annoyance. He slammed the lid to the wall in frustration.

"Doc, we've been at this for five hours! How about a lunch break?" He questioned, ripping off his cables and facing the scientist.

This caused the other four teens to look at the adult. Another sigh from the adult.

"Take twenty minutes."

* * *

That's how the teens found themselves walking down the hallway, overhearing Ed and his father bicker.

"I'm sick and tired of the testing, we all are!" Ed's voice shouted, causing the teens to stop their slow walk.

"_Mijo_, we must continue."

"They're at it again," Tye muttered to Virgil.

"Why?!" Ed's voice came back to the hall. "Just to prove your theory?!"

"_Sí_, Eduardo! I spend two decades working on my zeta-beam technology and now my son has teleportation powers, this cannot be a coincidence!"

It finally grew silent in the hallway, signaling Eduardo Sr. stopped yelling. Blake exchanged a worried look with Sam.

"Only the subject doesn't care!" Ed's voice came back. "I want a cure, now, not an explanation!"

More silence as the conversation dwindled. The door finally opened, revealing the Argentinian as he slammed the door. There was a pause.

"Oh, hey Ed. Just passin' by, didn't hear a thing," Neut tried to lie.

Blake rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't matter. Same old, same old," Ed replied, distraught.

Virgil put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, only have about twelve minutes left for lunch and you know how Doc Wilcox gets when we're late."

They continued down the hallway to the lunchroom.

"This is so messed up. STAR's as bad as the Reach and worse than home."

"Tye, there's no way this is as bad as the Reach."

"Whatever Neut," Tye retorted.

"Even if it's not as bad as the Reach, it feels like we didn't leave at all," Blake commented.

"I just know I can't take anymore of this place."

Vigil stopped the young teens. "You won't have to, 'cause we're bustin' out tonight."

* * *

Blake grew tired from the exercises they were performing. Her head was spinning around the idea of finally escaping. She'd be able to see her father after all those months stuck on the Reach ship. Finally be normal again.

"That's enough for today. We'll begin promptly at o'600 hours tomorrow," Wilcox interrupted her thoughts.

Groans were soon heard after that. Sam looked around the room, confused at her friends' displeasure. Blake was about to explain until Wilcox beat her to it.

A sign of irritation crossed Sam's face as they began to take off their sensors and cables.

"Please tell me you're not serious about running?" Neut asked, facing Virgil.

"Running, escaping, whatever you want to call it, we're gone," he easily replied, grabbing their packed duffle bag from under the table.

There was an awkward pause. Blake took off her uniform like everyone else, wearing her civvies under.

"This is serious. I-I nearly blew up Central City, my powers may be gone now, but what if they come back? You know, escalate out of control all over again? What if your powers escalate?"

Neut was now facing Tye. "Dude, you can't control them now."

He paused for affect. "Look, I know Wilcox is a pain, STAR is a pain, but they're trying to keep us safe. Or, at least keep the world safe from us."

Another pause as Virgil arched a dark brow. "I'm out of here."

"Oh yeah," Tye agreed.

"_Adios_."

"Nicely preached Neut, but no," Blake admitted but made her way to the door. "_Anata wa Samu kuru?_"

"_Hai_," she agreed.

"I guess that means yes?" Tye tried as he and Ed led Sam to the door.

An alarm blared off, causing the five teens to look at the suspect. Neut stood near the alarm, an anxious look on his face.

"Sorry, but I can't let you do this."

They exchanged looks and ran out of the lab. They made it to the hallway as Virgil tried to open the exit, but it wouldn't budge.

"The alarm's put the whole place on lockdown," Virgil stated, backing away.

"Great, now what?"

"No idea," Virgil admitted.

"Wha-what was your escape plan?"

"I-I didn't actually have a chance...to come up with a plan, but Ed can teleport us out."

"Haven't you been paying attention? I can only teleport myself and only along sight lines, which makes escaping from a window-less hallway, somewhat difficult," Ed replied, gesturing to the hallway.

"N-no problem, Tye will do his thing and take the roof off this building and carry us all out. Right?"

"Wrong," Tye retorted. "I don't know how to activate my _thing._ It just happens."

"Uh, Blake, you can use all our powers and teleport us or do Tye's thing, whatever you want."

She looked up from her fumbling fingers. "No I can't, I-I don't know how. Offer your powers."

Footsteps were soon heard as Asami shouted, "_Suimasen!"_

They turned to see Burton and two other guards.

"You kids need to come with us."

"Don't think so," Ed said, teleporting behind them. "Behind you."

They turned as Sam shot herself to them, knocking down all of them. Burton grabbed the teenagers.

"Listen, this is for your own good."

"Heard that before," Virgil said, using his electricity to lift the fire hydrant and knock out the man.

Burton dropped Ed and Sam as the others ran over to the unconscious guards.

"Okay, now what?" Tye asked.

"No idea."

The light went out, startling them.

"What just-"

"-power outage. Maybe I blew the circuits?" Virgil wondered out loud.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"_Suimasen_," they heard Sam say from the open door.

"Hey, no power, no lockdown. Sam, you're a genius!" Virgil said, running over to the girl and grasping her shoulders in excitement.

"_Suimasen_?" She asked, clearly confused.

"Let's go!" Blake shouted from outside.

They made their way to the nearest bus depot. The teens rummaged through the duffle bag, grabbing their coats (minus Blake who had a long sleeve plaid button-up). Once there, Virgil decided to call his folks as the others waited for a bus. He went back into the building.

"Dude, I can't believe you called your family. I'd never go back to mine," Tye said, folding his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Me neither."

"Look, I know the Reach was abducting runaways, but with me, they got it wrong. I was grabbed while waiting at a train station to meet my sister. My folks and I, we're good and they must be worried sick. And yeah I called them and left a voicemail asking to borrow money, so the five of us can buy tickets to Dakota City. It's my hometown."

Blake's gray eyes darted up. He didn't runaway? A small smile crept on her face. At least she wasn't the only non-runaway.

"And your plan to find a cure? How are we gonna find a cure in Dakota City?" Ed asked.

"No idea, except I don't really want a cure," Virgil went over to grab a drink. "I like my powers."

Blake groaned. "Don't drink that!"

"It's Reach," Tye finished for her.

Virgil did a spit-take, causing Blake to chuckle quietly.

"Aww, man," he muttered, his powers sending it to the trash can.

Tye went to go lay down. "Just wake me when it's time to go."

Silence descended on the teens as they looked at anything but each other. Blake sighed, pulling her knees to her chest and propping her chin on them. Maybe she should've called her dad too, to assure him she was okay and she'd be home soon.

Sam sensed something coming towards the station, so she got up to check it out. Her heterochromia eyes widened. "_Yabai. Yasura ga kulu._"

Ed and Virgil exchanged looks. Virgil shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Blake sighed, grabbed Ed and led him to the door. Wilcox and the guards were there. Ed grabbed the girls and made them stay low.

"_Compañero_, Wilcox is here."

"Oh great," Virgil hissed, know seeing the guards.

"Wake him up," Blake said, pointing to Tye.

"Tye, wake up man. We're in trouble," Virgil tried, shaking the older teen.

He didn't wake up as his "thing" took form, making Tye turn into a large, orange astral form and literally rip the roof off the teens stared at him in awe and worriment.

"Great, his _thing_ is on," Blake muttered from her spot on the ground.

The teens winced as Tye slammed someone to the ground.

"That's gotta hurt," Blake thought out loud.

He soon grabbed the four teens from their spots.

"Tye?" Ed questioned.

"I don't think he can hear you."

He soon ran off as Wilcox yelled after them. The teens exchanged worried glances. Where was he taking them?

"What now?" Blake asked.

Virgil exhaled. "No idea."

The running soon slowed down as Tye put them down. Blake took in the surroundings. Deserted area, literally. Virgil and Ed helped Tye stand up in his regular form.

"C'mon man, wake up," Virgil urged as they crowded around their friend.

"Tye?"

His blue eyes slowly opened and widened in shock. "Ugh, how'd I get- ah, it happened again. I thought I was dreaming."

"No dream. Trust me," a sixth voice came in.

Blake's gray eyes widened with realization. Jaime? The teens turned to see Blue Beetle. He landed and put his hands up. Her eyes quickly narrowed. Where was Scarab's bickering? Or any Scarab talking?

"I'm not here to hurt you, but all of you have to go back to STAR."

"Look, I recognize you. I know you're one of the good guys, one of the heroes that saved us all from the Reach-"

"But dude, you just don't get it," Tye cut in.

Pause.

"No Tye, I really do," he replied, disarming and revealing Jaime Reyes.

"Jaime?" Tye asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it's me."

"H-how-"

"-it's a long story. But it started with this Scarab," he said, taking off his sweatshirt and revealing the literal blue beetle. "It was created by the Reach to both give me powers and control me, so believe me, _ese_, I get it."

There was silence as Tye soaked it in.

"Fine, you're one of us, except you're flyin' around free as a b- beetle, and you still expect us to be lab rats for STAR," Virgil interjected.

"No more, hermano, not for the Reach or STAR."

"He's right bro, you can't take us back there."

Jaime sighed and face palmed. "Tye, what's the alternative? I let you run loose until the Reach snatched you up again?"

"No, we're headed to my parents' place so they can-"

"-get hurt or killed trying to protect you?! That's your plan?!" Jaime questioned harshly, causing them to flinch.

"_Tahsukute kureru no_?" Asami asked.

Blake's eyes unnarrowed a little as she heard Scarab translate.

Jaime exhaled. "_Hai_. I'll help you."

More wide eyes.

"Dude. You speak Japanese?"

"Scarab translates. Don't ask. Alright, new plan. I have this buddy, Green Beetle, he helped me. I think he can help you too. He's not far from here, I'll take you."

Blake once again narrowed her eyes. How did Green Beetle "help" him? What did he do? She soon blinked, seeing the teens follow Jaime. She frowned and reluctantly followed after them. The walk was quiet as Blake glared daggers at him.

"_Watashi wa kare o shin'yō shite inai_," she muttered to Sam.

"_Tare wa Tye no yüjïnda_," she replied.

"Yes Blake, you should trust me," Jaime's voice said, looking straight at her.

Blake's glare didn't falter as he gave her a look and continued to lead the group. Sam's eyes widened at the exchange, but she kept her mouth shut. This night wasn't going to end well. There was tension in the air as a ringtone filled the silence. Jaime grabbed his phone.

"Nightwing," he let out a nervous chuckle,"¿_que pasa_?"

"Blue, your radio's down," the voice stated.

"Uh, kinda incognito in the moment, _ese_."

"Well, armor up. The robot Red Volcano is attacking STAR Taos to steal the body parts of an android called Amazo, probably to incorporate it tech. Since Amazo was capable of duplicating the power of the Justice League, we can't let Volcano succeed."

"But I'm in the...runaway team, thing. I've, uh, almost tracked them down," Jaime stuttered out.

"That can wait. Zeta-tubes offline, only Flash and Impulse can get there fast enough and they're both saving tsunami victims in Malaysia. You're the only one close enough. Nightwing out."

Nightwing and Jaime hung up. "Minor setback," he said, turning to face them again.

"We know," Blake commented, arms crossed over her chest.

"The volume on your phone is maxed out."

"O-okay. Stay put and stay out of sight. I'll be back soon," Jaime ordered, armoring up and flying up into the dark sky.

They stared at the departing hero. Attacking STAR Labs? That meant Neut and the doctors were in trouble. Sure she wanted them to stay away from her, but not like this.

"My dad can be in trouble," Ed said, looking at his friends.

"Dude, you hate your dad."

"O-only sometimes," he retorted.

"Hey, it's cool. If it were my dad, nothing would keep me away. I'm with you," Virgil said, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder.

"So you two want to go back to the exact place we just escaped from?" Tye asked, bewildered. He sighed. "Whatever...I'm in too. Sam?"

The teens looked over at the confused Japanese.

"_Nadaka yoku wakaranai kado, ja ishuni ikuwayo_," she replied, giving a thumbs up.

Blake smiled ear to ear at Sam's response. "She's in."

"What about you, Blake?" Virgil asked.

She gave a small shrug. "Let's kick some Volcano butt."

* * *

"This was a terrible idea!" Blake shouted, crash landing onto the cement.

Tye chuckled. "You okay?"

"Just remind me that my chi is nervous next time."

She stood up as they waited for something to happen. The building looked the same as when they left...minus an alarm blaring off.

"Umm, doesn't look like an evil robot's attacking."

There was a pause until an earthquake began and they fell to the ground.

"You jinxed it!"

Blue soon came out, rocks and lava exploding onto him. He fell back to the ground with a loud thud, causing the teens to wince. Volcano came out and buried Blue under the cement.

"Jaime," Tye and Blake whispered.

Volcano soon went back underground. The teens ran over to Blue's burial.

"We have to save Blue Beetle."

"How? I can't teleport where I can't see and you're powers wouldn't be any use either."

"I'll save Jaime. You guys just go and follow the robot, make sure no one else gets hurt," Tye ordered.

They froze as Tye looked at them. "Go!"

That caused them to begin running after Volcano. Blake stopped midway.

"Where's Neut and the other scientists?"

"I don't know, but c'mon," Virgil replied, turning the corner.

Blake looked back, huffed in frustration, and continued her run. She soon made it to the Zeta Lab, seeing Ed and his father saved. Sam flew across the room and crashed into the wall.

"Okay, don't crash into him," she muttered to herself.

She repeated the chi manipulation and sent it to Volcano. They vibrated off of his body towards her and she dodged them. Virgil tried electrocuting him, but had the same response and was thrown onto Blake. They looked at the robot as he stood there, ready to attack.

"My turn, meat-bags."

The roof was soon ripped off as Tye's hand went and grabbed him. The teens exchanged looks and ran outside once again. Their eyes widened in shock as the boy fell from the sky.

"Tye!"

Virgil was quick to react and caught him before he fell to the ground. He put him down as they glanced at Blue. He wasn't only blasting Red Volcano; he was destroying the building too.

"Just how well do you know this guy?" Virgil questioned.

Tye blinked and frowned. "Hey, Jaime's fighting an evil robot, cut him some slack okay?"

"Whatever. We got bystanders to save. Let's go, guys."

She gave a curt nod and headed inside again. The walls soon began to tumble down. She squeaked and ran out of the way. She finally saw an unfamiliar white uniform curled in the corner.

"Sir?!"

He glanced up. "I'm glad to see you here, Blake."

"It's temporary Mr. Stranger," she admitted, grabbing his forearm and teleporting closer to the door.

They were soon outside and Blake teleported away from the blonde haired scientist. She soon saw the others and ran over to them.

"I think we got all of them."

A crash was heard as Volcano soared through the building and landed on the ground. Blue arrived, armed with his sonic cannon. Volcano quickly trapped the teens with a concrete fist.

"Time to sacrifice your victory and save the meat-bags like a good hero."

"You shouldn't stereotype!" Blue shouted, another sonic cannon forming on his chest and shooting him.

The teens got themselves out of their imprisonment and stared at the fight.

"Your friend was going to sacrifice us!"

"I don't think that's Tye's friend anymore," Blake whispered, a shaky breath leaving her lips.

He really was going to sacrifice them. Tye didn't reply as he saw that Blue was grabbed by the neck by Volcano. He began to drill at his chest.

"You'll have to do better than that, meat-bag."

He continued as he replied, "I'm really more of a meat-box."

Blue stopped as his hand formed into another weapon. "And you, you're just scrap."

He finished him and Volcano exploded. They stared in horror at what Blue did. Something was definitely wrong. Blue stood in front of them.

"Now we have to get you to Green Beetle."

"Jaime, I'm not sure-"

"Blake, this is not up for debate! You need to go now!" Blue shouted.

Voices were soon heard as the news crew ran up to Blue. All his worries seemed to have disappeared as he easily answered the questions. The teens began to walk alway as Blake stood there in shock. Yeah, he definitely did everything possible to get the Reach away from him.

"Blake, let's go. He's not worth our time."

Blake glanced between the group and Blue and followed her friends.

* * *

"Is this really a good idea to be back here?" Ed asked.

"It's brilliant! The one place they'd never think to look. I mean, not a second time."

"I'm done running," Tye announced, taking a seat on the debris.

"_Yo tambien_. So now what?"

"No idea," everyone said.

They exchanged small smiles.

"_Suimasen_," Sam said, pointing to a white car.

"'Suimasen.' That means trouble, doesn't it?" Virgil tried.

She shrugged. "No idea," she replied, giving a thumbs up.

The person in the car soon emerged. _Analyzing...analyzing, Lex Luthor._

"Hey, you're Lex Luthor," Virgil said, confirming the analysis.

"In the flesh," he replied. "And you would be Virgil Hawkins, Asami Koizumi, Keira Blake, Eduardo Dorado, and Tye Longshadow."

This startled them.

"You know us?"

"Know you?" He chuckled. "My boy, I've been watching over you for weeks, even arranged the power outage that facilitated your escape from STAR. Not to mention the timed arrival of the press that let you evade Blue Beetle, as you may have guessed, has become an agent of the Reach."

Blake's gray eyes widened. Of course, the worst happened. There was a pause as they tried to process the information.

"But you work with the Reach. You make their _refresco_, their beverage."

"True, but I've come to suspect their using me for their own ends and I think you know how that feels like."

Blake's eyes narrowed. This sounded like bull crud. He had every question they could ask answered in that bald head of his. The teens exchanged glances as he exhaled.

"It's a dangerous world. Fortunately, I've the resources to protect you."

"Heard that before. What do you want?" Virgil questioned.

"To empower you, not meta-powers, you're doing just fine on that front. Instead, I want the five of you to take control of your own destinies."

He walked over to the left out Sam. He held her hands in his.

"_Kimi no chikara ni, naritain da_."

"_Ah...domo_," Sam replied, somewhat cautious.

"There's no pressure, my friends. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, but I'm hoping you can trust me. What do you say?" Luthor asked, now facing the entire group.

There was a eery pause as they exchanged looks and mentally debated the decision.

* * *

**A/N: **I think we all know what they agree on. Next chapter is another filler chapter and how they accommodate themselves to the new apartment and such, so stay tuned!

**ArchCello: **Aww, thanks, that means a lot to me!

**Lyokodragon (Guest): **It's the perks about having alien tech on your back. No, Blake can't hear Jaime when he's on-mode because those are his thoughts and Blake isn't telepathic, but she can hear when Ambassador is talking to the Jaime and the Scarab. (Please correct me if I'm wrong because I'm pretty sure their Jaime's thoughts).

** : **Thank you! Sorry if you misinterpreted the "judging." What I meant was that the League can't really do anything about the analyzing situation. Train her to control it, of course, but it's part of her powers. The most they can prohibit her of doing is going the Team (I think).

**Unknown010: **Thank you so much and you should totally write a Blue Beetle fic! I agree with you that they're totally hard to find, so that's why I decided to write this story. If you're looking for another one, I have like two favorited and they're really well written. There should definitely be more love for Jaime.

**PrettyKitty Luvs U: **Thank you! It's always great hearing from you!

**Translations:**

_Anata wa Samu kuru?-_ You coming Sam?

_Suimasen!- _Excuse me!

_Yabai. Yasura ga kulu.- _Trouble. They're coming.

_Tahsukute kureru no_?- Will you help us?

_Watashi wa kare o shin'yō shite inai- _I don't trust him

_Tare wa Tye no yüjïnda- _But he's Tye's friend

_Nadaka yoku wakaranai kado, ja ishoni ikuwayo- _I have no idea what's going on, but I'll follow.

_Kimi no chikara ni, naritain da- _Lit: I want to be a power behind you. Fig: I want to help.

**A/N: **Fun Fact- The creators of Young Justice didn't put any translations for the Japanese in the episode, so we could feel as confused as everyone else. Isn't that funny?

Anyway, thank you and review! Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter songs, or the characters. They belong to their rightful owner. I only own my OC's.**

**A/N: **Well, this seems to be another filler chapter. Mostly focuses on the Runaways and their adventures in the safehouse. As always, enjoy!

.

.

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_-8 Time Passes_

_**Chapter Soundtrack: Smoke- Daughter**_

_As the mood changes to dark from light, tell the doctor what's become of me, so they can analyze, analyze my dreams..._

_**Afraid- The Neighbourhood**_

_Being me can only mean feeling scared to breathe and if you leave me then I'll be afraid of everything. That makes me anxious, gives me patience, calms me down. Let me face this, let me sleep, and when I wake up, let me breathe._

* * *

**Taos**

**May 16, 19:27 MDT**

"This isn't creepy at all...right?" Tye asked the gang as they followed Mercy through the hallways of the safehouse.

"It's creepy," Blake replied.

It was within the city, but the safehouse seemed to be heavily guarded. Men in suits and dark sunglasses stood by some of the doors, eyes following them until they were out of eyesight. They turned another corner as Mercy finally opened an unguarded door.

Ed let out an impressed whistle as the teens scattered throughout their apartment. The kitchen was to the left once you entered the apartment. The living room was conjoined near the kitchen, a long couch, coffee table, and flat screen in the living room.

"Not bad," Ed commented, plopping on the couch next to Mercy.

Blake emerged from the kitchen. "Tell me about it, we're stocked with Chicken Whizees!"

"Pass me one!"

Blake grabbed two more and tossed them to her friends.

"I see you are already enjoying the apartment," Luthor's voice came from the laptop on the coffee table.

"Uh...yeah."

Tye and Sam soon walked out of the apartment hallway and sat next to their friends.

"Now that you are all here, let's discuss room placement. One has two beds and the other three beds," Luthor explained.

"Ooh, Blake...and me get...two," Sam said, reading out of the translation book Tye had found in one of the room's.

"My thoughts exactly. If any of you get hungry, there will be a servant waiting outside to get you anything you'd like. Mercy will stay in the safehouse taking care of you. I have to leave now. Business calls," and the screen faded to black.

The teens frowned at each other.

"Great! I thought we escaped to not be babysat!" Tye muttered.

Blake quirked a dark brow as she glanced at Mercy. "Seems to me like Mercy's knocked out."

The tanned girl's fist was about to knock on the brunette's forehead until her right arm shot up, gripping the girl's wrist. The teens jumped at the sudden action as Blake's gray eyes widened in fear. Seeming to be satisfied with their reactions, Mercy calmly let go of Blake's wrist and shut her brown eyes again.

"Are you okay, Blake?"

She fumed as she rubbed her reddening wrist. "I guess I deserved that...just not the mark."

A rumbling stomach distracted the teens as they turned to look at Sam. She gave a sheepish smile and a small shrug. Tye muttered something that strongly sounded like cute. Virgil made his way to the door to look for the servant.

"Wait, what do you guys want?" He asked before opening the door.

"Hamburgers!"

"Tacos!"

"Sushi!"

"Enchiladas!"

Virgil deadpanned as he stared at his friends. "How about pizza?" Virgil tried.

"Eh, _está bien_," Ed replied for them.

Virgil nodded and went to tell the servant outside. The others relaxed and seated themselves on the couch once again.

"Now what?"

* * *

Night finally crept and the runaways were sent to their rooms. Blake didn't fall asleep as she stared at the ceiling. She could hear Sam's breathing, but it never slowed down to a sleeping rate.

"Are you asleep?" Blake whispered.

"No," the smaller girl replied after a pause.

A knock was soon hear at the door as Blake cautiously got up. She opened the door to see the boys. Sam soon got up and stood next to her.

"Uh, what's going on?"

"We're gonna check this place out, you guys in?"

Blake and Sam exchanged looks, smiles creeping onto their faces. They soon went out their room and shut the door.

"How do you know it's safe to be out?" Blake whispered as they stepped out of the apartment.

"We double checked and saw none of the guards, so that means we've got this place to ourselves."

"Mercy?" Sam questioned.

Ed shrugged. "Probably sleeping. We didn't see her anywhere."

They walked down the apartments, their eyes glancing at every door.

"Which one are we going to first?"

"I have no idea," Virgil admitted.

There was a pause as they glanced at the hallway that was once guarded. They exchanged looks, finally realizing where to begin.

"Split up!"

The teens smiled and did as they were told. Sam and Tye walked into the first door to the right, only seeing a large bright green rock in the center of the room. It was stored in a transparent box. The duo cautiously walked over to the box, their eyes reflecting the green light.

"What is this?" Tye asked.

Sam's eyes flickered down to the label. "Krypt..."

Tye saw where she was reading and finished for her. "Kryptonite? What's kryptonite?"

Sam only shrugged, glancing back at the bright jewel.

Ed found himself in the room next to theirs. His brown eyes widened, taking in the two metallic suits in front of him. One seemed to have less modifications then the other. The other seemed to be newer and bulkier. He glanced to the right, seeing a table with blueprints. He walked over to it, reading the title "Robotic Battle Suits."

Blake tried to push away the smoke to no avail. Her teeth chattered as she began to rub her goose bumped arms. She could really use Jaime's sweatshirt right now. Her gray eyes darted left to right until they finally focused to the back of the room. Her feet dragged her there, seeing a pod. It was all fogged up from the smoke and coldness. Her calloused palm began to wipe at the glass. She stifled a gasp as she was met with a pale disfigured face.

It seemed to be a male. His eyes were closed as his dark hair rested on his forehead. Blake continued to wipe the glass, her breath hitching as she saw the familiar red Superman symbol. She finally saw what his name was: Project Match. She glanced at the panel to her left, her fingertips brushing the buttons. She wanted to release him, but knew she couldn't. She glanced up at the sleeping genomorph. Blake sighed, beginning to back away from the room, making sure the boy never awoke.

* * *

**Taos**

**May 20, 13:47 MDT**

Their eyes were filled with confusion as they stared at the stretching bodyguard. They glanced back at Luthor.

"So you want us to spar with Mercy? All at once?" Virgil asked again.

"Precisely."

"But there's five of us and we have superpowers," Tye intervened.

The man only shrugged. "She can handle herself. Besides, this is for your benefit to teach you fighting techniques. It would be preferable if you didn't use your powers for once."

The teens glanced at each other, finally sighing. "Okay, let's do it."

"Mercy, show them a few of your moves," Luthor called to his bodyguard.

The brunette gave a small smirk as she got into a fighting stance. The teens all charged at her at once. Mercy quickly kicked away Sam and Ed. Tye and Virgil tried to land a punch on her, but she effortlessly ducked, causing the boys to punch each other. Blake was the last one standing as Mercy charged at her. Blake held her hands up, blocking each jab and punch. The younger girl clumsily jumped over Mercy's leg, but was punched in the gut.

Luthor looked down at his wristwatch. They only last forty seconds. They were fools for underestimating.

"Very impressive, Blake. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Mercy asked, her brown eyes having a taunting gleam.

Blake glanced at the bodyguard, beginning to rub her gut. "My dad," she replied curtly.

"Good job. Ready for round two?" Luthor asked.

The teens groaned as they plopped themselves on the ground. Luthor only cracked a smile. That was Mercy going easy on them.

* * *

**Taos **

**May 27: 1:09 MDT**

Virgil had found the stairs to the rooftop when they scattered around the safehouse. They always seemed to be there at night. The runaways laid under the stars, staring at the moons. One of them was the regular full moon, bright as it illuminated the sky. The other, however, was smaller and suspiciously more imposing than the other. Blake glanced at her friends as they said nothing.

"So, we're not gonna talk about it?" She questioned.

"Nope," Virgil replied for them.

Blake sighed and placed her hands behind her head. They don't talk about it.

**Taos **

**May 27, 15:06 MDT**

Blake yawned, drying her dark damp hair with a towel as she walked into the vacant living room. She grabbed the remote from the table and turned on the television. Her eyes narrowed as it showed the Ambassador. She threw her towel over her shoulder, placing a hand on her hip.

"-and in my role as the Reach's Ambassador to the world, I want to take this opportunity to thank this great hero. A hero who single handedly saved the world from the Warworld. He saved your lives, he saved our lives. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blue Beetle!"

Applauds were soon heard as Blake's mouth gaped open in shock. Blue strutted up on stage, waving at the crowd. Ambassador stepped off as Blue took his place on the podium.

"Thank you. Thank you all, but it is I who should express gratitude to you, Ambassador, for giving a normal," Blue's mask began to retreat, "average human being like me, the power of the Reach. The power to save the world."

The remote thudded on the ground as Blake blinked in shock, processing the fact that Jaime revealed his identity to the public. The world. The whole universe, even. She soon grabbed the remote again, her fingers fumbling to pause it. Her breathing was erratic as if she had run a mile.

"Uh, Tye, you might want to see this."

**Unknown Location **

**Unknown Time**

_Blake's eyes snapped open, seeing the familiar crimson glass and lab outside. Her gray eyes glanced around the room. She heard very distant voices, but no one was there. _

_"This will be a great addition to the Reach, little brother. I am glad you had your eyes on her."_

_Black Beetle soon came to view, a malicious smile on his face. She glared at him._

_"I am too," another familiar voice said._

_Her eyes soon saddened. Blue? He stood by the panel. _

_"Jaime," she whispered, her hands going to the glass._

_He looked over at her and gave her a devious smirk. He soon turned on the electricity to full voltage. A shriek escaped her lips. Her eyes tried to stay open. She was a little relieved to see the one controlling the panel was the Scientist. Blake allowed her eyes to shut as she continued yelling in pain. She opened her eyes again and saw Blue staring at her. His silhouette flickered, he now looked like the Scientist. It flickered once more and he stayed as Blue Beetle._

_"Stop looking at me! Help me!" She frantically shouted._

_He blinked and flipped open a red button. His shielded brown eyes stared at her watery gray ones. He pressed the button and Blake's head slammed to the crimson glass as her body went limp._

**Taos**

**May 28, 1:04 MDT**

Her eyes snapped open, cold sweat running down her forehead. She looked over at Sam. She only muttered in her sleep and turned the other way. Blake groaned, wiping her forehead and covering her eyes. These nightmares were getting worse and way too personal each night.

* * *

**Taos**

**May 29, 12:16 MDT**

"He's really weird," Tye began, making the four of them look away from new press conference. "He's always been good at science, y'know. I don't get how we're friends. I hate science, but then again, he hates history and I'm good at history."

He paused, glancing at the screen that showed Blue hoisting a girl onto his shoulders, making her drop her Wonder Woman toy.

"He's always chill and I'm always angry and upset." Tye chuckled to himself. "The only time he wouldn't be calm was when he talks to a cute girl. You should see him, he always rubs the back of his neck."

Blake felt her cheeks warm up as she buried her face in her arms. Tye continued to ramble on and on about this Jaime Reyes. The one where he wasn't being controlled by the Reach, the one who liked skateboarding and video games, the one Blake was beginning to fall head over heels for. He finally finished after a few hours, inhaling a shaky breath. Blake gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'm getting him back. No matter what."

Tye looked up, a small smile on his face. "Count me in."

Virgil and Ed gave him a reassuring shoulder squeeze as Sam gave him a reassuring hand squeeze. They would help Tye get his friend back, no matter what.

* * *

**A/N: **That's it for this chapter! I would also like to say R.I.P to Robin Williams, a great actor from my childhood. He will be dearly missed.

**PrettyKitty Luvs U!: **Thanks, it's always an honor to get a review from you! Blake and Jaime will be coming back as soon as they liberate him from the Reach. I may try to write a chapter from Jaime's perspective, but please be patient for the fluff.

**FabIsHere: **Thanks! I do understand about the short chapters. Recently, my chapters have gotten a little longer and I will definitely begin trying to reveal more thoughts from Blake's side. I am, however, saving her backstory for the rest of the story. I think it's more interesting when you reveal small parts of your OC's backstory throughout the story to keep the reader hooked (that's how I think it works). I'm glad to see you like the title and the story, please stay tuned!

** : **She definitely doesn't trust Luthor. Who would? He works for the Reach! I know they can't prohibit her from joining the Team, but what I meant was, they can vote for it. When they found out Captain Marvel was only a child, there was a brief moment where they considered taking him out of the League for his safety. What I'm trying to say is they have to think about the rest of the Team (Spoiler Alert: she'll make it to the Team, don't worry).

**Translations:**

_Está bien- _That's fine.

Next chapter is the War episode. Reviews make me happy! Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9: The Hunt

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's.**_

_**A/N: **_Hello, Megan! *slaps self on forehead and waits for people to begin unfollowing story.* I was way off on what episode we're on. This chapter takes place during "The Hunt," not "War." Sorry for that. So, see you guys again at the end of the chapter!

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_-9 Fell Down a Hole_

_**Chapter Song: Fell Down a Hole- Wolfmother**_

_Fell down a hole, to another town, living underground, looking for that sound..._

* * *

**Taos **

**May 29, 20:08 MDT**

The teens separated as they destroyed anything that labeled Reach. Blake smirked as the sign was destroyed by the sonic blast. She looked over at Tye to see he had gotten the water gallon and slammed it to the ground.

"Oh nice one, Tye," Virgil commented as the others came to view. "You are seriously getting a handle on your powers."

"Thanks, Virgil, but I'd rather get a handle on the Scarab that turned my man, Jaime, into the Reach's little blue puppet."

Blake placed a hand on Tye's shoulder for comfort as Ed's phone rang. He answered, Luthor appeared on the screen.

"I wonder if the Reach can appreciate the irony of their own creations working against them."

"Hey, they did not create us. They kidnapped us," Ed countered.

"And experimented on us against our will," Tye added.

"And with that in mind, if you truly want to hit the Reach where it hurts, I believe I can show you the way.

This piqued everyone's interest as everyone crowded around Ed. They headed to the apartment to continue the discussion. A strange box was found on the coffee table where the laptop was.

"It's called _Father Box._ It can open a boom-tube or gateway to the Warworld and back again. It has also been programmed to locate Kryptonian DNA."

"Kryptonian? You mean you're sending us after Superman?!" Virgil asked, bewildered.

"Superboy, actually. One of nine young heroes captured by the Reach."

Blake scanned the people. Impulse and Beast Boy were there.

"Those guys saved us from the Reach."

"Precisely. Care to return the favor and in the process strike a critical blow on the Reach?"

"Dude, you're asking us to go inside the Warworld and rescue superheroes. If they got caught, what chance do we have?" Tye asked.

"_Misión suicida_."

"I'm in," Virgil said bravely.

"Count me in too."

The teens glanced at the two of them. Virgil only shrugged.

"There's no way the Reach expects us. We have the element of surprise and our powers. We're the only ones who might actually stand a chance."

"Besides, we owe them," Blake added.

"My thoughts exactly," Luthor agreed.

Tye exhaled. "Fine."

"You had me at 'we owe them,'" Ed deadpanned.

Sam reached over for the Father Box, suggesting she agreed too. "Uh, _doya descauno? _How does work...please?"

"The Warworld shielding prevents pinpointing Superboy's exact location from Earth, but it can boom-tube you a few miles from it. Once you're inside, it will lead you directly to Superboy and the others. Then when you're ready, it can bring you all home. Simply ask, Asami, and it will obey."

"The Warworld, please."

None of them were prepared for the black and yellow boom-tube to appear below them and teleport them to the Warworld. They all landed with a thud as all their items slipped from their hands. They got up to see they were soon approached by Reach. The teens exchanged worried glances.

"Hello," Sam said kindly, waving her hand.

Blake inwardly face palmed, but admitted it was pretty funny. One soon approached, gun aiming at them.

"Oh, we give up, we give up!" Virgil surrendered, pushing through them and kneeling on his knees.

"Please don't hurt us. We're stupid to come here. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I knew this wouldn't work we are so sorry."

Ed was the next one to join. "He's right, we don't want any trouble."

Sam, Blake, and Tye followed suit.

"We just want to go home."

The Reach guard grabbed Virgil and gritted his teeth. Virgil lowered his arms, a small smile on his face. "Fooled ya."

The trash can lid soon connected with the guard's head and they began their fight. Ed teleported above as Sam projected herself towards three other guards. Blake had blasted four of them when she saw Tye transform into his form.

"Woo-hoo! Now y'all woke up the big man."

Tye was soon zapped as he simply flicked them away. This caused them to continue their fight as Blake continued to blast them. Tye kicked the last one out as soon as more guards came on a tram.

"Time to go," Virgil ordered, retreating.

Blake hopped on her board and soon followed behind. She looked back, pointed her fingers in a gun motion, and zapped the guards chasing her. She smiled, blowing away the imaginary smoke.

"Bullseye."

She stopped and kick flipped her board up.

"And that's what you get for blasting my board!" Ed shouted to the falling guards.

Tye turned back to normal as Sam and Virgil came along.

"Dude, did we know your, uh, Longshadow was laser proof?" Virgil asked.

"Ugh, more like laser resistant. Those beams stung," he replied, grabbing his abdomen in demonstration.

Sam took out the Father Box and asked for Superboy. It loaded and pointed to a direction.

"This way," Sam said proudly, leading the teens.

Blake soon felt a pair of eyes on them. She looked up, but didn't see anything or anyone. She decided to let it go, hoping it wasn't one of the guards.

"You okay, Blake?" Ed asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Sam soon stopped as a door blocked the way. Tye easily lifted it up in his astral form and let them walk in. They stared in horror at all the pods that caged different kinds of species.

"Oh man, there they are," Virgil pointed out, seeing only three pods filled with the heroes.

"Looks like they're...frozen."

"They're in stasis," a sixth voice said, causing them to look at the voice.

Virgil and Blake's eyes widened in horror. He smiled menacingly at them.

"And you will join them soon enough."

He began to approach them.

"Guys, I saw this guy take down all these heroes back on the Reach ship."

"Please, don't let that stop you from attacking me. I can use the exercise," Black Beetle butted in, beginning to crack his knuckles.

Tye was the first to attack as Black took action and punched him, blasting him with the sonic cannon. It disintegrated the astral form as Tye yelled in pain. He was soon knocked out.

"Please tell me he did not just take out our big gun in three seconds flat."

"Scatter!" Virgil shouted as a blast was sent to Sam, knocking her down.

Virgil was the next one. They were both easily knocked out.

"Well so much for excercise," he muttered drily.

Blake snuck behind him and blasted him with the sonic blast. He fell, surprisingly alarmed. She gave another blast as he got up.

"Ah, using my powers against me to weaken me," he stated rather than asked.

"No, more like being a copy cat," she replied, blasting him once again.

He aimed the sonic cannon, but she soon scattered away. He began to fly up near Ed's hiding place.

"It's a shame, pet, little brother was looking forward to destroying you himself," Black taunted the girl, making Blake grit her teeth in anger. "Alright meats, might as well teleport yourselves into a stasis cell and save me the trouble."

A blast was heard as Black Beetle came crashing down. Ed and Blake soon saw a young man run across the room and shut the door. _Analyzing...analyzing, Arsenal a.k.a Roy Harper, no known powers, but mechanical arm with an array of weapons._ Ed and Blake were soon by his side.

"_Gracias_, _amigo_. Um, who are you?"

"Arsenal," Blake replied for him as Ed was given a blaster.

"Or the guy who'll save your butts if you listen carefully. You can't beat Black Beetle head on, but keep him off balance and we might just stand a chance."

Black Beetle flew to them as they either scattered or shot at him. Blake shot a sonic blast at him.

"By the way, don't start fights you can't finish," Arsenal commented as they dodged his blast.

This caused Blake to glare and make her eye twitch and her head throb. He attempted to blast the tanned girl, but Ed teleported around him and hit him. They continued to blast at him and dodge his every shot until Tye came back and swatted him to the wall.

Black was back on his feet, launching crystals at Virgil. Virgil blocked them with his lid. Sam launched herself to the Beetle, knocking him down. He attempted to blast her, but was stopped when Ed blasted him and Tye punching him into empty stasis cells.

"I am starting to get annoyed."

"Yeah, 'cause the odds aren't in your favor," Blake said, continuing to sonic blast him.

It caused his back to disintegrate a little and she jumped onto another capsule. She stood on top of a capsule as someone fell out of another one. Blake glanced at Arsenal, who had opened the cell.

_Analyzing...analyzing, Mongul, super strength invulnerability, and super speed._ The yellow-like alien soon groaned. Blake frowned and was soon next to Arsenal's side.

"You don't seem clear on who we're trying to save," Ed pointed out.

"Why'd you release Mongul? He's definitely not part of the Team?!" Blake hissed.

Mongul grunted and began to stand up. Blake's gray eyes widened a little at how bulky he was.

"Trust me, I'm clear," he replied, making Ed and Blake back away.

Black Beetle was about to take another shot at Virgil and Tye until he saw him. His red eyes narrowed in anger.

"Mongul! This is all your fault!"

"Reach," he seethed.

They soon launched at each other, much to Blake's surprise. Her head began to throb as she frowned. Not again.

"You guys free the Team, I have something else I've gotta get," Arsenal shouted, running away from them.

Ed fired three lasers at the stasis pod panel., opening each pod. Seeing that it opened, the other Runaways went to help the heroes.

"I've got Super _Niño_!" Ed shouted, their mission being a success.

"Impulse, you okay?" Blake asked, helping the speedster to his feet.

"Blake, what're you doing here?"

"Saving you guys and it's good to see you remembered me."

"Not very hard when my her-mano kept rambling about you," Impulse loudly muttered to himself.

Blake arched a dark brow as his green eyes widened in realization.

"Oops, spoilers!"

She ignored the comment as she helped Impulse down to where the other Team members were.

"Let's go!" Arsenal's voice came back as he held various weapons, "Move!"

"Who made him leader?" Impulse asked the older girl.

"He helped us free you guys, so I guess that counts as a leader."

They finally made it to the closed doors, until Arsenal held his arm up and faced the heroes. "Okay, get ready. We have a squad of Reach soldiers waiting for us."

"Oh, and he knows what's going on," Blake added as Impulse got out of her grasp to fight.

They were definitely not expecting a flood of Reach soldiers already unconscious, only Nightwing, Miss Martian, and a spherical vehicle being the champions of the flood.

"Hey fearless leader, better late than never," Arsenal quipped.

"Everyone safe?"

The Team and Runaways nodded at the question.

"For now."

"The crystal key?" Nightwing asked.

"Gone!" Arsenal hissed. He glanced over his shoulder to see Black Beetle and Mongol still fighting. "And we better get gone too before one of them declares a winner."

"Right. Move out!"

Nightwing and Miss Martian led the way to the Bio-Ship. Blake glanced at Impulse, exhaling in relief. Their first mission was a success. Now her mission had to be completed.

"So, Blue, he's no longer in control."

"No, but we're gonna get him back," Impulse said.

Blake nodded at his reply as Impulse gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"All aboard," Miss Martian ushered the Team. "We're almost home free."

"Sure you're gonna be okay?" Impulse asked.

"Yeah, don't worry."

He finally bid her goodbye as he went after his Team members.

"I think congratulations are in order. No full training, no guidance, and yet you pulled it off," Nightwing said, clearly impressed. "When we get back, after a debrief, there might be a place for all of you on the Team."

"Wow, really?" Virgil asked.

"So now that we saved your butts, you're cool with us not being Star Labs guinea pigs?" Tye asked.

"Dude, chill."

"Before we head back, we need to talk about Blue Beetle. He betrayed us," Arsenal butt in.

Blake frowned and saw the woman on the ramp frown as well.

"Look who's talking!" She snapped. "Last thing I remember is you blowing an air lock without warning, nearly got us all killed and absolutely guaranteed our capture," she finished, glaring at Arsenal.

"Hey! After eight years in ice, no way was I getting grabbed again! And in case you haven't noticed, my escape resulted in you being freed, so you shouldn't stand here and complain! How about a thank you?" Arsenal snapped.

Nightwing placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You're right, Arsenal. Thank you...and after we get back to Earth, you're off the Team."

"W-wait a minute," Tye protested.

"If it weren't for Arsenal, we wouldn't have rescued anyone."

"That may be, but this hasn't been the first time he's pulled this kind of stunt. Intentionally endangering the lives of teammates in order to further his agenda or guard his own personal demons. It's unacceptable, so until you prove yourself a team player, you have no place on this Team," Nightwing replied. "Now, let's get aboard and get out of here. We can discuss this further when we're not behind enemy lines."

Bumblebee and Nightwing began to head up the ramp. They turned to see they hadn't moved.

"Sounds like there's nothing left to be discussed," Ed replied to Nightwing.

"See, we don't need your help getting back to Earth or your offer to join the Team. We have our own way of doing things," Virgil added.

"What do you say, bro? Wanna ride with us?" Tye asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Arsenal replied, grinning.

"Blake?" Sam questioned.

The dark-haired girl glanced at the Runaways and at the Bio-Ship. Her eyes finally focused on Tye.

"I'm getting him back. No matter what," she replied, recalling their conversation a few days ago.

Tye gave a small smile, understanding what she meant. The others gave sympathetic smiles and nodded.

"Just remember, Blake. Once a Runaway, always a Runaway," Virgil said.

A small smile played on her lips. "Thanks guys. Just don't let Arsenal sleep on my bed."

That caused more small grins to appear on their faces and a scowl on Arsenal's lips. Sam took out the Father Box.

"Wait, is that a-"

"Home, please," Sam commanded, cutting off Nightwing.

And they disappeared into the yellow and black portal and the headaches were back. Nightwing and Bumblebee kept their horrified face expressions, turning to look at Blake for an explanation.

"What? You guys act like you've never seen a Father Box before."

Blake soon headed up the ramp into the Bio-Ship, not prepared for what would happen next.

* * *

**Lyokodragon (Guest): **Thanks for the review! Is it bad to say I haven't really thought of a hero name? I do have an idea of what her name would be, but now it sounds too cheesy.

**PrettyKitty Luvs U!: **Thanks and I guess I already updated *does weird hand motion to the chapter*

** : **It's not really the League's decision if she can join the Team or not (I don't think it is). Blake will definitely have a talk about her nightmares and insomnia that's occurring.

**A/N: **That's it for this chapter. Next chapter is another filler chapter *sighs.* I know there's a lot of filler chapters, but this one's gonna reveal some background check on Blake, pinky promise. Plus, Intervention's until like June and they skip the through the end of May and the beginning of June, so I'll fill that in too. 'Till next time!

P.S. Reviews make me happy and I'm currently writing something new for Riptide and might change the summary for it too, so for this who are waiting, it may come out later this week!


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, the chapter song, or the characters. They belong to their rightful owners. I only own my OC's.**_

**A/N: **OH MY GOSH! I PROMISE IM NOT DEAD! I am so so so so so so so sorry for not updating sooner. School's just beginning and I wasn't able to adjust and I have a freakin' F in a class and it's my first F and I'm still traumatized from that. Then sports are in my way and ugh. I am so so sorry still. I seriously did not mean for you guys to wait this long and thank you for being patient.

** : **It's literal, I guess. New things are in store for her and let's see if she can handle it.

**Lyokodragon (Guest): **She does.

**PrettyKitty Luvs U!: **Thanks! I'm glad she found the Team too!

**DieForPie: **That means a lot to me and I'm so so so sorry this update wasn't as quick as my other updates!

**Guest 1: **Thanks and I will!

**Guest 2: **Definitely will!

**Guest 3: **I'm sorry this update was WAY late and thank you for waiting!

**My Sweet Euphoria: **Glad to see you're enjoying the story! I really want to write a BluePulse fic and there's an idea swarming around my head, but it may be a while until I finally decide to calm down and begin writing something. But I am definitely planning on writing one!

Again, I am so so sorry and as you can see, updates won't be as frequent as they used to. May be a while until I post something for this and I think Riptide may be on a brief hiatus too. I sincerely apologize, but school sadly had to come first. Just for reassurance, I am not abandoning any of these stories. You guys deserve to see the beginning and ending of them.

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_-10 Mindscape_

_**Chapter Song: Drift- Daughter**_

* * *

**The Warworld**

**May 30, 1:23 UTC**

"-and I guess that's how we ended up here. It always seemed to be about Superboy," Blake finally finished her story, letting go of the tips of her braid.

Blake noticed how Superboy curled his knuckles, but silently uncurled them. The Team had surrounded her a few minutes ago. The only one who seemed to have not payed attention was Beast Boy, but that was only because he fell asleep.

"So why did you decide to come?" He asked, blue eyes on her.

"I want to help. Blue was- is a friend of mine and I want to help save him from the Reach," she explained.

"Shouldn't you go with your parents first? They must be worried," Nightwing replied.

She chewed on her lip, realizing he was right. Her father must be worried. Her eyes were on the three older members of the Team "Will there be a chance for me to join still?"

Nightwing, Miss Martian, and Superboy exchanged looks. The others glanced at the older members of the Team, waiting for their response.

"It's not really our decision. We have to talk to your parents and hear what they say."

Blake felt her shoulders slump. Her father would most likely forbid her. She'd been gone for what...six months? Plus, this hero life seemed dangerous. Heck, she didn't even know how to control her powers. Maybe she was too underprepared.

"If they say yes, there will definitely be a spot for you on the Team," Nightwing finally piped up, breaking the dark-haired girl from her thoughts.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you'll need training of course," Wonder Girl informed, lifting her blonde head off of Robin's shoulder.

"Hand to hand combat, strength, speed, agility, intelligence, simple things a hero needs," Robin added.

"It'll be so crash, Blake. We'll be able to team up for missions, kick some bad guy butt, and crash the mode together," Impulse chirped away.

"But for now, you should get some sleep. You look like you need a nap," Bumblebee finally concluded, gesturing to the bottom of Blake's eyes.

Blake rubbed her eyes, feeling the bags under them. "Yeah, that seems like a good idea."

The lights suddenly dimmed inside the Bio-Ship as her gray eyes glanced around. Wonder Girl had placed her head back on Robin's shoulder as his head fell on top of hers. Impulse sprawled himself near Blake and closed his eyes. Guardian and Bumblebee kept their quiet conversation between each other as Batgirl, Nightwing, Superboy, and Miss Martian stayed awake to continue the journey home.

Blake sighed as she tried to get some sleep for once.

**Blüdhaven**

**May 30, 6:21 EDT**

The creaking of the freight elevator signaled their arrival into the warehouse. As the elevator came to a halt, most of the members made a bee-line to the zeta-tubes or their designated area in the warehouse. Blake let out a yelp as Impulse sped by her to get to Nightwing.

"Look, I know this missing Key is important, but we need to focus on-"

_"-Blue Beetle,"_ Cat Grant cut off Impulse on screen. _"The so-called 'Reach Hero' has dominated this new cycle with U.N Secretary General Sang announcing his plan to present Beetle with the International Medal of Valor for saving the Earth from the Warworld."_

Blake felt her knuckles curl up as Robin paused the video. "That's a lot of good press for a traitor," Robin said drily.

Blake and Impulse glared at him. The Boy Wonder only shrugged at their cold stares.

"Hey! Don't blame Blue. He's just as much of a captive to the Reach as we were. We have to set him free!" Impulse glanced at a worried Blake and back to the screen. "Y'know, before he conquers the Earth and enslaves all mankind."

The screen flickered off as Nightwing ran a hand through his dark hair. "I think that's enough for today. Let's escort you home, Blake."

Her eyes widened as she let out a nervous chuckle. "Err, I'm not sure where _home_ is..."

She heard Nightwing sigh. "Robin, find an empty cot for Blake."

* * *

Blake sat on the couch, petting Wolf as he relaxed next to her. M'gann and Nightwing were discussing on what to do about Blake's situation. They finally came to Blake's view as she gave them a sheepish smile.

"We decided that we should probe your mind. You're not sleeping well and that may be affecting your thoughts," M'gann explained.

"Is that okay?" Nightwing asked.

She exhaled, but nodded. "Yeah, if it benefits the both of us."

M'gann placed her hands on Blake's temple, her eyes glowing a green aura. Blake's eyes soon opened, reflecting the color..

**Unknown Location**

**Unknown Time**

Blake gasped, her chest heaving. Her gray eyes flickered around as she recognized the familiar crimson glass. She felt the electricity nipping at her chest.

"Blake! Blake, calm down! This isn't real!" She heard M'gann yell as she finally came to view.

"I-I can't get out!"

"Yes you can, c'mon."

Blake relaxed her breathing as the nipping began to disappear. M'gann waited patiently as it was finally gone. Blake let herself out of the capsule and exhaled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Blake glanced around the laboratory. "Woah, is this my mind?"

"Mindscape, and I don't think so. This looks more like a damaged mind."

"Oh," she muttered.

"But it's okay!" M'gann quickly added, hearing the girl's distraught tone. "We'll fix it."

Blake nodded in agreement. Luckily, there was no one in the laboratory.

"Where do we start?" Blake asked.

"Start looking inside the capsules for something."

Blake stood on her tippy toes as she stared into the crimson glass. She gasped, seeing Impulse inside the capsule.

"Uh, M'gann, who do you see?" The younger girl asked.

There was no reply. Her gray eyes flickered to the Martian as she stared wide-eyed into the capsule. Blake glanced into the capsule and saw M'gann inside.

"This isn't real, remember," Blake reassured.

"I know, but I want to know why I'm inside the capsule."

They once again separated, seeing more familiar faces. Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, the Runaways, most of the Team, Lex Luthor, even Mongul and Stephanie were in a capsule.

"Why are they all in the capsules? Do they have something in common?" M'gann asked no one in particular.

"I don't know. They're just people that I know."

M'gann continued her walk in the lab as Blake thought of the connections.

"I met them after my experimentations," she tried.

"Dig deeper."

There was a pause as M'gann glanced at Blake. The young girl's gray eyes widened in realization.

"Analyzing."

"Analyzing?"

"You know how I told the Team back on the Bio-Ship about my analyzing?" M'gann nodded. "These were all the people I analyzed."

"Let's try to get out of here and continue searching."

Blake led the way as they walked over to the exit.

"What happens if there's nothing outside?"

"There has to be something outside. Trust me."

Blake nodded at M'gann as the door finally opened. A whiff of cool air flowed through their hair as their eyes widened in wonderment. There were army men running, some by a large field sparring, and some walking in and out of buildings.

"Do you know this place?"

"Yeah, it's the base where my dad used to train the men. Err, well, still does."

"Military-like mindset. Interesting," M'gann muttered to herself as she began to levitate.

"What does that mean?" Blake asked, her feet beginning to leave the ground.

"Your happy place is at the base, why's that?"

"Well, this is home to me."

"All your life?" M'gann asked.

"Basically."

They levitated in silence as they made it towards the building.

"I think that might be it, Blake. Everything seems fine from here on out. You just needed a little remembrance."

"What happens if the people from the lab come out?" Blake questioned.

M'gann chewed on her lip and gave a shrug. "I'm not sure, but if the nightmares continue and you begin forgetting, just tell me. We'll do this again."

Blake gave a small smile and nodded. "Okay."

**Palo Alto**

**June 1, 12:56 PDT**

Blake glanced down at the piece of paper and back up at the house. She exhaled and ran a hand over her braid.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself.

She finally knocked on the door and stepped back next to Nightwing and M'gann. The door creaked open as she gave a smile at the familiar man.

His dark brown eyes finally locked on her face as he gave a teary smile. His jaw slackened in shock.

"Blake!" He shouted, pulling his daughter into a hug.

Blake finally let a tear fall as she wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you so much, dad."

"Me too, princess."

They kept their grip on each other for a few minutes as they finally let go. Her father glanced at M'gann and Nightwing who patiently waited for the touching moment to end.

"Thank you for returning my daughter," he finally said.

"You're welcome. Mr. Blake, may we talk to you about something?" Nightwing asked.

"About what?"

"Blake, she's...different."

His eyes widened in confusion and horror. "W-what do you mean? What happened?"

"Dad, you might need to sit down for this."

* * *

**A/N: **Again, I am so so sorry and as you can see, updates won't be as frequent as they used to. May be a while until I post something for this and I think Riptide may be on a brief hiatus too. I sincerely apologize, but school sadly had to come first. Just for reassurance, I am not abandoning any of these stories. You guys deserve to see the beginning and ending of them. Until next time!


End file.
